


Soar

by Kupow



Series: Persona 5: Going the Distance AU [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I wish ASICS would pay royalties for this, Ryukoto Week 2020, Shoes, Sports, product placement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:14:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24781390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kupow/pseuds/Kupow
Summary: “I’m… I’m sorry for everything that happened last year!”“Oh. Ah… That’s ancient history, Takeishi.” Ryuji shook his head. “I don’t care about that anymore--”“--So please! Will you come back to the track team!?”Before trophies, girls, and notoriety, the only reason he ran was to chase the feeling of flight. To go so fast that he would reach a place where the pain and exhaustion would fade away, leaving nothing but the wind roaring past his ears.It’s the last few days before the start of Ryuji Sakamoto’s third year at Shujin Academy. The former star sprinter thought he had put his days on the track team behind him, but a desperate plea from an old adversary brings up feelings he thought he had buried.However, returning to the sport where he experienced the most traumatic moment of his young life is no simple matter.With the help of his friends and the love of his life, will the one time ‘Track Traitor’ make his comeback?Will he rekindle his desire to soar?
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Niijima Makoto/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Takamaki Ann
Series: Persona 5: Going the Distance AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594675
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47
Collections: RyuKoto Week 2020





	Soar

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Ryukoto Week 2020 Day 2: Athletics
> 
> Takes place in the [Going the Distance AU.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594675)
> 
> Cole’s Notes for those who don’t want to read 44 chapters of long ass story plus epilogue just to read this one:
> 
> Takes place after the gang returns from spending a week of spring break with Ren in his hometown, Kamakura. (Between Chapters 2 and 3 of [GtD: XR](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22442197/chapters/53622061))
> 
> Ryuji and Makoto are in an established relationship (dating since end of Okumura arc last year) and have done "that".
> 
> Shiho remained at Shujin. Ryuji and the gang prevented Kamoshida from doing what awful pedophiles do and so she stuck around. Repays the Phantom Thieves by being a massive troll. Excels in Puckish good natured mischief, is the single most responsible person for Ryuji and Makoto getting together. She has a penchant for nicknames. If you're her friend, she'll probably not call you by your actual name. For example:  
> Ren: Champ  
> Ryuji: RyuRyu  
> Ann: Blondie  
> Makoto: Mako-chan  
> Haru: Haruru  
> Yusuke: Da Vinci  
> Futaba: Gremlin
> 
> Ren and Ann are that annoying couple that are so together they’re pretty much married. Ren calls her Songbird (after she sang for him once) and she calls him Wildcard (his nickname from his high school boxing career prior to Shido).
> 
> Ryuji holding cell incident - he went fishing without a license in Kamakura. Briefly detained for poaching.
> 
> ‘It was nice’ incident. Makoto’s awkward first words in the afterglow after their first time.
> 
> Ren is a massive shoujo/josei/romance addict. Claimed his collection belonged to his childhood friend and ‘sister’ Kaname, using the classic ‘my sister reads them’ excuse. No one bought the lie for even a second.
> 
> Definitions/Terms:
> 
> ASICS: Shoe company. Popular worldwide, especially in Japan.
> 
> Racing spikes: Type of track shoe with cleats at the forefoot to help you dig into the track
> 
> 'Fight-Oh!': Typical way of cheering/encouraging in Japan, particularly in sport.
> 
> Blocks: The things runners brace against at the starting line

March 27, 2017 

Ryuji knelt at the start of the asphalt path that ran alongside the Tama River in Tokyo, adjusting the laces on his scuffed up ASICS GEL-DS 24 trainers. He kept putting off replacing the red and black runners, reasoning that a _former_ track team member didn’t need to waste money on expensive new shoes. Despite the early hour, he was full of energy as he bounced to his feet. He had already warmed up on the way to Tamagawa Park by way of a light jog. His previously injured leg felt good.

During the year, Ryuji had trained alongside Ren and Ann for the Phantom Thieves. That improved the state of his leg and his overall health quite a bit. And on top of that, since the defeat of Yaldabaoth he had pulled out all the stops in rehabbing his leg. At Makoto’s suggestion, he sought out advice from Takemi-sensei as well as Shiho’s physical therapist. The work was gruelling, but with Makoto, Ren, and Shiho in his corner it was just difficult - not impossible. He worked carefully through the dynamic stretches and movements that he was taught.

He started to grin, ear to ear. His smile and energy weren’t because he still had a few days of spring break left.

Nor was it because Ren surprised them all by returning to Tokyo for another year, though Ryuji was thrilled that he was going to be finishing up high school with his best friend.

And it wasn’t even because he was starting his third year of high school with an _actual girlfriend_. The thought of Makoto definitely made him happy. But the smile currently on his face wasn’t for her. This one was his alone.

Ryuji glanced around self-consciously. The path was empty. He crouched down into the four-point start that was so familiar to him, despite not having raced in over a year. He could hear the official’s voice in his memory.

_‘On your marks.’_

He placed his fingers on the pavement, his hands just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. He settled his toes into position and rested his left knee lightly on the ground.

_‘Set.’_

He raised his hips higher than his shoulders. He looked like a statue, even as the muscles of his hips and thighs started to store elastic power, building tension that would inevitably snap. His grin became almost feral.

If someone had been watching Ryuji, even they would have heard the phantom gunshot.

This was it. This was the moment.

Ryuji’s feet didn’t _pound_ the pavement. That was poor technique. Instead, launched himself forward from the toes, his heels not even touching the ground.

50 metres. It was time to transition from an all-out start to a sustainable pace and a quick, controlled stride.

100 metres. Coasting. Recover as much as possible. Stretch out the stride, fend off the fatigue and lactate burn as long as possible.

200 metres. Acceleration phase. Ryuji started to swing his arms harder; his shoes dug into the asphalt for purchase.

300 metres. All out dash. Time for the most difficult and most critical stretch of the 400 metre run. Physiology would no longer be denied. His lungs cried out for oxygen; his muscles burned as the lactic acid declared itself. This was why the 400 metre dash was considered one of the hardest races in track and field. His body screamed at him to stop. Every muscle fibre in his legs cried out for mercy. The burn was torture.

But this was it. This was why he smiled.

In the blurry zone between exhaustion and triumph, there was a place he sought. It was the reason he started running in the first place, before dreams of trophies, girls, and being called ‘senpai’ edged into his consciousness. If he could just push past the brink, there was a place where he knew things would feel different. It was a place where he could be completely alone, where everything would vanish. No sensation of feet striking the ground; no pain; no burn in his lungs. Nothing but the song of the wind past his ears.

Nothing but the feeling of _velocity._

If he could just get there.

_‘A little more. Just a little more!’_ His toes clenched tight within his shoes; he dug into the pavement. He willed every fiber of his muscles for another iota of speed.

He crossed the 400th metre. He didn’t need a finish line; his body still remembered when to stop. He kept moving at the end, at a jog that was barely faster than a walk. It was important to keep moving, to burn off the lactic acid. His grin faded to a soft, resigned smile.

_‘Still not enough, huh?’_

He came to a stop, panting. He reached for the bottle of water he left on the wooden railing of a bridge on his jog to the starting line in the morning, frowning when he noticed that it was gone.

_‘The hell? Why would someone steal a beat up water bottle?’_

“Your form hasn’t changed a bit, Sakamoto.”

He looked up; he caught the yellow and black bottle out of the air. He grimaced at the sight of Daiki Takeishi, fellow soon-to-be third year of Shujin Academy and former teammate. The last time they spoke, Takeishi had taken up Ryuji’s offer of ‘one punch’, and then tried to take a few more - until Makoto and Ren intervened. Ryuji took a sip of his water.

“...Thanks.” Ryuji said, nodding curtly at Takeishi. Ryuji had long since put that stuff behind him and had no interest in petty revenge. “See ya, Takeishi.”

The bottle blonde turned to leave.

“W-wait! Sakamoto!”

“...Yeah?” Ryuji asked, turning back. He startled at the deep bow he found Takeishi in. The proud youth was bent almost ninety degrees at the waist.

“I’m… I’m sorry for everything that happened last year!”

“Oh. Ah… That’s ancient history, Takeishi.” Ryuji shook his head. “I don’t care about that anymore--”

“--So please! Will you come back to the track team!?”

>>>

March 29, 2017 

“Oi. Oiiiii. Mako-chan? Earth to Mako-chan.”

“Hm? Oh!” Makoto startled, as if surprised to find herself in Leblanc sitting across from Ann and Shiho.

Shiho inclined her head towards Haru, who stood at the end of the table. The auburn-haired heiress was clad in a green apron and held a steaming drink in her hands. “Haruru has your drink, Mako-chan.”

“Sorry.” Makoto said, accepting the mug. She smelled it, smiling reflexively at the earl grey citrus smell of the London Fog before taking a sip. She looked up at Haru. “This is amazing, Haru. Just what I needed.”

Haru clasped her hands happily. “I’m glad! ...Is everything okay?”

“Y-yes. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Ann reached across the table, picking up the plastic straw that Makoto had been playing with. The brunette had literally tied it into knots as she absentmindedly fidgeted. “Exhibit A, Makoto.”

Shiho then pointed at the London Fog. “And Exhibit B. You don’t drink Earl Grey unless you’re worried about something.”

Makoto frowned. “How closely do you watch me, Shiho? That’s remarkable.”

“Not really. I look for dirt on-- I mean, _care about_ all my friends.” Shiho beamed. “So what’s going on?”

Makoto started to say something, but her eyes flitted over to where Ren stood. He was behind the counter, polishing glasses while chatting with Mona about the upcoming school year.

Ann understood immediately. She got up and moved to stand opposite Ren. “Hey, Wildcard? Do you mind taking Mona and getting us some crepes from that food truck down the street? I think they’re having a special today.”

Ren shook his head. “Sorry, Songbird. Not until Sojiro gets back. Haru’s just starting, and Boss wouldn’t be thrilled if I left her alone.”

Ann rested her chin on her hand; she rested her elbow on the counter as she leaned forward, peering at Ren with upturned eyes and fluttering eyelashes. “ _Please_?”

Ren nearly dropped the glass. He knew he was being manipulated by his girlfriend. “I don’t know…”

“I’ll be sure to… _pay you back_ later.” Ann’s voice took on a particularly winsome tone, flashing a little pout at Ren. She was pouring it on to the point of cheesiness, and she knew it. 

It was a good thing that Ren _loved_ being manipulated by his girlfriend. Without another word, he hung up his apron, stuffed Mona into his bag, and left Leblanc. Haru suppressed a giggle; Shiho outright guffawed.

Ann returned to the table spritely. She smiled at Makoto. “So, what’s going on?”

“It’s Ryuji.” Makoto frowned, idly stirring her drink. “He hasn’t been himself since we returned from Kamakura.”

“Really? I thought you two worked out the whole ‘it was nice’ issue after you had a conjugal visit in prison--Ouch!” Shiho exclaimed as Makoto’s hand shot across the table in a flash for a light chop to the troll’s forehead.

“We _kissed_ , _once_ , when he was in a _holding cell_.” Makoto grumbled.

Haru wasn’t even slightly surprised at the antics of her friends by this point. “How has Ryuji-kun been different? He seemed fine when I saw him here with Ren yesterday. The two of them were playing video games upstairs and making so much noise that Boss had to yell at them…”

“That’s actually what I’m talking about.” Makoto frowned. “If I had to describe it, I’d say he’s trying too hard? He’s smiling and laughing even more than usual, but when he thinks I’m not looking… It’s like he’s worried about something.”

Ann and Shiho exchanged looks. This was not lost on Makoto.

“Ann? Shiho? Do you know something?”

“...Don’t freak out, okay? But what you’re describing reminds me a bit of how he was in the first year of middle school.” Ann frowned uncomfortably. This wasn’t a secret anymore, amongst their group of friends. But it was still hard to talk about. “...That was the year that Ryuji’s father got _really_ bad, and his mother worked up the courage to divorce the bastard.”

Shiho sighed, nodding in recollection. “I remember that. RyuRyu fooled almost everyone at school. He kept smiling and acting like he usually does, but something was a bit off. He’d even laugh at bad jokes, and train even harder for track. I thought it was fine until I caught him behind the gym alone. It looked like he was crying.”

Haru’s eyes widened. “Really? Ryuji-kun hid his feelings like that? He wears his heart on his sleeve, usually.”

Makoto shook her head. “No. It makes sense… If it were any of us, Ryuji would speak up and show his concern immediately. But if it just involves him, he’d probably just try to avoid being a burden to anyone. How he acted in middle school just confirms it.”

“So what are you going to do, Mako-chan?” Shiho asked.

“I’m going to talk to him about it.” Makoto said immediately.

“Wow. Decisive.” Ann said, raising an eyebrow.

Makoto smiled, shaking her head. “One good thing that came from the whole ‘it was nice’ situation and subsequent fishing incident in Kamakura was learning that these things are best faced head-on. My other research would suggest the same.”

“Research…?”

“The manga Ren lent me.” Makoto said, grimacing. “If I _don’t_ go and talk to Ryuji, it’ll be several chapters of lovelorn sighing and misunderstandings before something forces me to talk to him anyway. Honestly, I don’t know how Ren reads that stuff. It’s beyond frustrating.”

Ann shrugged. “He gets _really_ cute. Sometimes I catch him crying a little.”

The door opened; Ren returned with the crepes. “Hey, I’m back. Here’s… ...why are you all smirking at me?”

“No reason! Thanks for the food, Wildcard.”

>>>

March 30, 2017 

The shoes were beautiful.

It was a strange thing to think about running shoes. But as Ryuji stood outside of _Sasaki Sports_ , a shop situated in the same Setagaya neighborhood as his home, he couldn’t really think of any other words. First of all, the black and dark blue colour scheme, along with the sprinter’s spikes at the forefoot, made him think of Makoto. And second, they were made with the bare minimum of material. He knew they would feel exceedingly light. The shoes were…

“They’re built to fly, wouldn’t you say, Ryu-chan?”

Ryuji jumped, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A smiling woman stood at the entrance to the store, wearing a shop apron.

“Aheh… Yeah. They’re pretty awesome, Nee-chan.” Ryuji smiled back at her. “It’s been a long time.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Aiko Sasaki, the owner of the shop, adjusted one of the sandwich boards on the sidewalk. “I think the last time you came by was when you were just starting on the Shujin track team, wasn’t it? I sold you a pair of trainers and a pair of racing spikes. They’re probably just about worn out now, aren’t they?”

“Ah… yeah.” Ryuji mumbled. The trainers were worn out. The spikes… That was a different story.

“No one else is in the shop right now, Ryu-chan. Want to try them on?”

Ryuji started to make up an excuse. “I’m not racing…”

_‘Yet_ ’ was the unspoken word. While he hesitated, Aiko gently led him inside and sat him down on the bench. She was the only one working today - her semi-retired parents were nowhere in sight. Ryuji took off his street shoes and looked awkwardly at the ASICS Hypersprint 8 shoes that she brought out for him. He looked up at her.

“Are they the right size, Ryu-chan? To my eye, you’ve gone up about one and a half sizes.”

Ryuji pulled them on. They were perfectly fit. If he were on a track, it would feel like there was nothing between him and the ground. Nothing to dissipate the power of his legs. He would fly. He smiled nostalgically at the shoes, flexing his toes inside them. Aiko was already minding another part of the shop, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He was grateful. She not only sold him his last pair of spikes and trainers, but also his first, when he was just starting on the team in middle school and she had just started high school. In fact, she had missed being his senpai on the team by a single year. Ryuji knew that she knew what happened - the track and field community was small enough that word got around about the ‘Track Traitor’. Thankfully, it was also small enough that word later got around about how none of it was Ryuji’s fault.

But it still left his emotions a mess. He thought that he had left competition behind, that running was just going to be something for himself. Something to clear his head and to stay fit. Something for when he felt like chasing hopelessly after the feeling of flight.

_‘Sakamoto… I know I have no right to ask you. But, please! We need another second or third year member. Otherwise, we’ll lose club status. We got rid of Yamauchi and got our old coach back, but some of us just couldn’t deal with it anymore and quit.’_

Ryuji got that. He really did. It was part of the reason why he left track behind. There was so much baggage tied up in the sport, now. Running itself… the place beyond the brink, those were pure. But his memories and feelings relating to racing were complicated. The high of winning was juxtaposed with the feeling he had when he had to watch his mother bow her head to Kamoshida after the teacher ‘defended himself’. He never wanted to see her like that again. He never wanted to hear her apologize for not being a good enough parent again, when as far as Ryuji was concerned, Tsubaki Sakamoto was the best mom/‘dad’/friend a guy could have. What would she think, if she saw him racing again? What memories would that stir up for _her—_

He blinked as a tissue entered his vision, obscuring his view of the shoes. He looked up at Aiko. She smiled gently again.

“You’re flattering me, Ryu-chan. I’ve never done such a good job fitting someone before that I’ve driven them to tears.”

“Oh! Ah, thanks.” Ryuji took the offered tissue, grateful again. This time for the bad joke and thin excuse. “...Hey, Nee-chan. What was I like, when I started running? I mean… in your eyes.”

“Clumsy.” She replied instantly.

Ryuji winced, feeling the shot through his heart. He took off the spikes, putting them back in the box. “Ouch.”

Aiko laughed. “ _Every_ runner at that age is clumsy in some way, Ryu-chan. You were growing every day, remember? It was the same kind of clumsy as a newborn fawn. Stumbling and silly, but brimming with potential. Just minutes away from being able to dazzle.”

She took the shoes back, carefully packing them away. Ryuji noticed that she didn’t put them back on the shelf; rather, she placed them behind the counter. 

“And dazzle you did, Ryu-chan.”

“Hm? I guess. I mean, I didn’t win anything until my second year of middle school.”

“Mm-mm.” Aiko shook her head. “Not what I meant. Even before then, I could see the joy in your eyes. So could your mother. It was like you were exploring a world that only you could see.”

“Heh. Yeah… I never actually got there though. Not even after I started winning.”

“So are you thinking of making a comeback?” Aiko asked.

Ryuji put his own shoes back on. “Maybe.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“Honestly? I dunno, nee-san. I think it’s more of a question of why I should bother starting.”

>>>

Makoto pressed the button over the nameplate that read ‘Sakamoto’ in the humble but clean apartment building.

The voice of Tsubaki Sakamoto, Ryuji’s mother, crackled to life over the speaker. “Yes?”

“Good evening, Sakamoto-san. It’s Makoto.” Makoto said.

There was silence. After a moment, teasing, feigned ignorance.

“ _Sakamoto-san_ ? Who could you possibly mean, Makoto-chan~? There’s _two_ Sakamotos who live here, after all.”

“Er…” Makoto blushed, her eyes flitting to the side. “...Kaa...chan?”

“Oh! Yes, of course! Come on in!” Barely contained, delighted laughter. “Ryu-chan’s not home yet, but I’d love to chat for a little while.”

Moments later, Makoto sat with Tsubaki at the table in the living/dining room of the Sakamoto apartment, sipping tea. She truly liked Tsubaki; it was clear where Ryuji had inherited his disarming smile and outgoing nature from. She even liked calling her ‘Kaa-chan’. Her discomfort from the term actually had little to do with the woman herself - it was more to do with the implication it had for her and Ryuji, that one day she might join their family and--

“Eeeeeh? Why are you blushing?” Tsubaki asked, grinning. She clearly had some idea why.

“N-n-nothing!” Makoto stammered. She froze up, meeting Tsubaki’s eyes.

After a moment, the two shared a little laugh. Tsubaki sighed, shaking her head with a little smile. “I’m really happy we can chat like this, Makoto-chan. Honestly. I always hoped that if Ryu-chan managed to get a girlfriend, she’d also become my friend. Between my two jobs, it’s hard to socialize much.”

“It must be hard…” Makoto said, shaking her head.

“It _was_ . But now he’s on track to go to university. And somehow, my irresponsible goofball wants to be a _teacher_. And he’s smiling again…” Tsubaki paused, frowning slightly. “...Well…”

“So you noticed too, Sakam--.. Ah, Kaa-chan?”

“A mother always does.” Tsubaki sighed. “There’s something going on with him. He did the same thing when we left his father. He put on the biggest smile possible for me, did everything he could to try to convince me that I didn’t have to worry about him. He always puts others ahead of himself, no matter how much it hurts him.”

“Yeah…” Makoto sighed, thinking of the ‘free punch’ he offered to the track team last year. “Sometimes literally.”

“Hard to take care of him, isn’t it?” Tsubaki chuckled. “It’s why I always told him I thought he’d do well to find a girlfriend who’s older than him.”

Makoto coughed, trying to push the heat away from her face. “R-right. Anyway. That’s why I came by today. I wanted to speak with him directly about it.”

“Good.” Tsubaki said, shaking her head. “Otherwise, he’ll just keep bottling it up until he does something unreasonable.”

“Something unreasonable…?”

Tsubaki stood up. She walked over to a certain cupboard in the kitchen, reaching behind a tin of an instant coffee brand that Makoto recognized as being almost undrinkable. In some circles, it was actually celebrated for how bitter it was, with fans claiming that the acrid taste actually helped to wake you up. For Ryuji, who thought that a syrupy mocha was coffee, it was like kryptonite. Ryuji’s mother withdrew a shoebox and returned to the table, opening it to reveal a pair of worn-looking sprinting spikes.

“ASICS Hypersprint 7…” Makoto said, reading the words on the shoes. She blinked. “Ah. This isn’t the usual ASICS logo, is it?” The sweeping crosshatch on the side had been replaced by a yellow lightning bolt.

Tsubaki laughed, smiling in nostalgia. “It isn’t. Aiko-chan at Sasaki Sports does this sort of custom work sometimes.”

“It suits him.” Makoto said. “Why are you hiding these?”

Tsubaki’s smile faded. “...It was after _that_ man broke his leg. One of the conditions the school set out for Ryu-chan to not be expelled was for me to go and apologize for him. Even then, it was obvious what they were doing. That piece of _trash_ knew that seeing me do that would hurt Ryu-chan. That’s why I never got angry at him… That’s why I apologized to Ryu-chan, too. It wasn’t because I regretted what kind of man he was becoming. It was because they hurt him, and I couldn’t do _anything_.”

“Kaa-chan…”

“I heard him sneak out in the middle of the night on his crutches.” Tsubaki continued. “I watched him from the window. He threw these shoes in the garbage. He blamed himself for everything. I waited for him to go to bed before fishing them out… I always hoped he’d want to run again. He always looked his best at competitions. Like he could run anywhere.”

“But I won’t push him into it. I think his feelings about running are complicated, to say the least.” Tsubaki sighed, looking at the shoes. “It’s silly, isn’t it? These are so beaten up that they wouldn’t be much good for racing anyway.”

Makoto looked thoughtful. “You know, I wonder. It’s the start of the year. Maybe the reason why he’s acting this way is because they asked--”

The sound of the front door being unlocked interrupted her train of thought. Tsubaki quickly put away the shoes.

“I’m home-- Oh! Makoto!”

“Ryu-chan, about time! How can you keep a beautiful girl like this waiting?”

Makoto squeaked in protest. “S-sakamoto-- er, Kaa-chan!”

>>>

After dinner, Ryuji walked Makoto home. He fell into step beside her, his hands shoved into his pockets. It was a nice surprise, dinner at home with the two most important people in his life. It was almost enough to make him forget what was worrying him.

_‘--So please! Will you come back to the track team!?’_

_‘What? Why would you of all people want me back, Takeishi?’_

_‘Sakamoto… I know I have no right to ask you. But, please! We need another second or third year member. Otherwise, we’ll lose club status. We got rid of Yamauchi and got our old coach back, but some of us just couldn’t deal with it anymore and quit.’_

_‘...Shit. For real?’_

_‘Y-yeah… Right now, it’s just me and Nakaoka. We need at least four people to have a club. My cousin’s coming to Shujin and she’ll join the team for sure, but I can’t count on anyone else. Word got out about how Yamauchi tried to use the track team and a lot of the incoming students don’t want to join up until they see that things aren’t going to go down that way. Specifically they want to see that the club’s supported by a few upperclassmen. So I need one more…’_

_‘Why me?’_

_‘First of all, because no one else is left… And more importantly because before Kamoshida, before all the bad shit happened, you were always the guy we could depend on. And even with Kamoshida… You were the only one that stood up to him. We… we need our anchor back!’_

“Tch…” Ryuji mumbled, kicking at a rock on the ground. Standing up to Kamoshida and being the guy the team could depend on just screwed everything up. The sight of his mother bowing her head to that bastard’s smiling face - a smile that shifted into a smirk as soon as he caught Ryuji’s eye - still haunted him, even though Kamoshida was defeated.

But why couldn’t he let go of it? If he was really done, why did he tell Takeishi he’d think about it? He kicked another rock.

“Trying out for soccer, Ryuji?” Makoto asked, gently.

Ryuji blinked. He completely forgot she was there. He quickly tried to affect a sheepish smile and laugh.

Makoto shook her head. “You don’t have to do that around me, you know?”

“...I… yeah.” He mumbled. “Sorry. I shoulda known you’d figure out something was up.”

Makoto smiled, taking Ryuji’s hand. She led him into a playground, lit by the nearby streetlamps. They sat down on the swings. “You don’t need to apologize. It took you a little while, but you finally let your guard down a little.”

“I guess it’s because I forget you’re there, sometimes?” His eyes widened. He waved his hands frantically, almost falling off the swing. “W-wait! That came out wrong. I mean… I’m just… comfortable around you. Enough so that I start actin’ like myself, whether I want to or not.”

“Mm. I know. That makes me happy, Ryuji.” Makoto said, holding the chains of the swing. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“It’s stupid.”

“I still want to hear it, Ryuji. If it has to do with you, I’ll always want to hear it.”

Ryuji sighed. He toed the recycled-rubber ground of the playground. “Takeishi asked me back to the track team.”

“I thought it was probably something like that.” Makoto said. “So what do you want to do about it?”

“I dunno.” Ryuji said. “It’s not like I need to go back. With you and Ren helpin’, I think I’ll get into any teaching program I want… And I don’t really care about the trophies and fame anymore, y’know?”

He smiled wistfully. “...Though, when I started runnin’, I didn’t really care about that stuff then, either.”

Makoto slowly started swinging her legs, building some gentle momentum. “Why did you start running, then?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?” Ryuji asked.

“I promise.”

“There’s a place I wanted to get to.” Ryuji said. “I forgot about it for a while, when I got obsessed with girls and trophies and shit… But when Kamoshida broke my leg, I remembered it. Nothin’ like almost losing everything to make you remember, right?”

Out of habit, he rubbed his thigh. “...I love the 400 metre. The guys used to all call me crazy for it. In the 100 metre and 200 metre, you can go even faster, and you don’t deal with the same anaerobic burn. But they feel too short. Like it’s over before you really get goin’.”

He grinned, looking up at the halo of light around the nearby streetlight. “Yeah. 400 is the sweet spot for me. In the second half your muscles start screaming, and your lungs start burning… But for me, somewhere in the last two hundred, something always starts to change. The pain gets less… I start to not even feel the ground anymore, or hear anything other than the wind. I start to feel like I’m completely alone, and if I can just get a little more speed, I could really _fly._ ”

Makoto just listened quietly, her swing creaking a little.

“I never got there, though. That place was always just a little past my reach. But chasin’ after it is what saved me when my dad got really bad. Things were tough at home, but I always had the chase, y’know? Being on the track, putting myself against the best runners out there… It always pushed me to go faster and faster. The closest I got to finding that place was always in competition.” He sighed. “Maybe that’s why I can’t let go. It’s stupid, right? It’s not like I need to be on a team to run fast.”

Ryuji looked up as he heard the chains of Makoto’s swing rattle - she gracefully landed on the ground as she dismounted, moving to stand in front of him. She met his eyes, placing her hands on his shoulders as she looked down at him.

“Ryuji… Do you remember what you told me when I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to apply to Toudai?”

Makoto had flip-flopped for days, coming up with any number of reasons to go for an easier school. Plenty of police commissioners in the past went through easier university programs both in terms of admission and in terms of how rigorous the study was.

_‘Makoto… I’m not the smartest guy out there, but the way I see it, if someone keeps comin’ up with reasons to not do somethin’, it’s often because they’ve already made the choice to go the other way. It’s just that the other way is scary… But it’s_ **_you_ ** _. You got this!’_

Ryuji shook his head, looking at the ground. “What if I go back and become that idiot who cares about trophies again? What if I go back and let everyone down?”

“I can’t predict the future. Neither can you. All you need to know is that you have people who love you and support you. And all you need to _do_ is what your heart wants to do, Ryuji. When has it ever led you astray?”

Ryuji squeezed Makoto’s hand before gently taking it off his shoulder and standing.

“Thanks. That… that really means a lot to me. But I can’t just go back selfishly to chase a place that I might not ever get to. I know Kamoshida’s gone, but if I somehow hurt Ma again by doin’ track… That’d just about kill me, Makoto.” He stood up, giving her a thin smile. “Come on. I should get you home.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. After Ryuji saw her off, Makoto stood at her bedroom window, amidst the last few boxes she had to move to her new apartment. She watched his back as he walked down the street in his characteristic slouch, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

_‘Caution doesn’t suit him.’_ Makoto thought, her chin resting in her palm.

Ryuji was worried about his mother, obviously. And he also said he didn’t want to let ‘everyone’ down. Makoto shook her head. Ryuji was close to his mother, close to all of their friends. He had to know that everyone would be happy to see him back doing what he loved. He even had to know that the remnants of the track team would just be happy to have him back at all.

_‘Right now… it’s like he’s at the starting line. His feet are against the blocks, and his legs are tense. He’s just waiting for the right signal. Maybe… ...No. Doing_ **_that_ ** _is straight out of a manga. That’s stupid.’_

She watched as Ryuji, lost in thought, walked directly into three recycling bins lined up on the street. They clattered to the ground, spilling empty cans and bottles all over the ground. The din was audible even up to Makoto’s window. Makoto covered her mouth, giggling quietly as Ryuji righted the bins and started frantically gathering the empties. At one point, he gave chase to a stray cat that made off with a can that still had a little tuna stuck to the rim.

Makoto watched her boyfriend chase the cat over a fence; she thought she heard the sound of a loud splash, like something roughly the size of a human falling into a fountain or pool. As she watched him exit the yard, soaking wet, she realized that ‘straight out of a manga’ and ‘stupid’ might work perfectly.

She grabbed her phone.

>>>

March 31, 2017 

It was the last day of spring break. Ryuji glanced one more at the letter that was taped to the front door of their apartment yesterday. Written on the envelope in beautiful calligraphy was the kanji for ‘challenge’.

‘Shujin Academy. Friday. Bring your gym strip.

-Makoto’

Ryuji was bewildered. And a little frightened. Over the past two days, Makoto had ignored all of his texts. Moreover, the entire Phantom Thief family acted strangely; even his mother had few words for him. It wasn’t like they were treating him badly, though. If anything, it just filled him with a sense of anticipation. It felt like something important was going to happen.

Ryuji arrived at Shujin at the appointed time. He found Makoto standing on the grass field in the middle of the 400 metre synthetic rubber oval. She held two shopping bags. As he faced her, she shoved both bags at him, her expression gallant and stern - the same way she looked when she confessed her feelings for him at Destinyland.

“Makoto, what--”

“Just open them.”

He withdrew two shoeboxes; Makoto held one while he opened the first. A new pair of ASICS training shoes - the GEL-DS 25, the new edition of the pair he currently wore on his feet.

“...I didn’t say I’m rejoining the team--”

Makoto said nothing; she just held out the other box. Ryuji opened it; his eyes bulged.

‘Hypersprint 8’ was emblazoned on the outside edge of the toe cap. These looked like the same shoes that Aiko fitted him with the other day - with the exception of the stylized lightning forked lightning in place of the usual ASICS crosshatch. He nearly dropped the shoes, staring at Makoto in utter shock.

“Makoto… This is _way_ too much. Each of these pairs cost a bundle. And on top of that, this customization, and this design… How did you…”

She finally smiled. “I wanted to show you that everyone’s behind you, Ryuji. Your mother, Sasaki-san, _everyone_. Now… Will you show me? Will you show me what you look like when you’re trying to reach that place you told me about?”

Ryuji nodded slowly; his heart was already pounding. He was overcome with the urge to _move_. He knelt down, putting on the spikes. “...Heh. It’s a little weird, running with just one person staring and cheering me on, even if it’s the heroine of the story. It’s like something out of a sports manga--”

“Fiiiiiighhhht… OOOH!”

Ryuji yelped as someone slapped his back, _hard_. In fact, calling it a slap was like calling a haymaker a love tap. He almost fell forward onto his face.

“Holy _shit!”_ Ryuji whirled, ready to throw down. His angry words and raised fist both dropped when he recognized the perpetrator of the slap. 

“ _Now_ it’s a sports manga, buddy.” Ren grinned. The leader of the Phantom Thieves was soon joined by the rest of the family - Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru, Mona, and Shiho arrived in support.

“You guys…” Ryuji said, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Seriously…?”

Makoto chuckled. “Did you really think I could afford _two_ pairs of shoes and the customization work?”

“We all chipped in, RyuRyu!” Shiho said, pumping a fist. “Now you can show us what you got!... _And_ you can look cool in front of your ‘heroine’.”

“You heard that, huh…?” Ryuji said sheepishly as Shiho made a ‘V’ sign. He shook his head, chuckling as he headed to the start line, where Ren was setting up starting blocks that he had ‘borrowed’ from storage, with the help of a lockpick.

“Oh! Wait, though.” Shiho said, mischievously. “Y’know, it’s not really fair that the Champ’s the only one to give you some _spirit._ ”

“What do you--...oh. Oh no. Makoto? Little help--”

“Fiiiight OOH!”

Ryuji jumped as Makoto interrupted him with another back slap. Not quite as hard as Ren, but still enough to sting. He whirled, giving her a look of abject betrayal - until he saw the little smile on her face.

“I’ve always wanted to do that.” Makoto chuckled. “Not much reason to do it on the student council, you know?”

Each of the Phantom Thieves, plus Shiho, took their turn. Thankfully, none of them hit as hard as Ren or Makoto. At least, not until the end. Ryuji counted down the backslaps - Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru, and then Mona. He started to relax until two more hard slaps struck him simultaneously and sent him staggering forward. He spun around again.

“Hey, what the hell!? It was supposed to be one… ...each…?”

Ryuji came face to face with Tsubaki Sakamoto and Aiko Sasaki, each of them beaming at him.

“Ma…? Nee-san…”

Tsubaki stepped forward, pulling Ryuji into a hug. Despite the presence of his friends, he didn’t protest.

“ _Soar_ , Ryu-chan.” She whispered.

Ryuji nodded. He headed to the starting block, taking his four-point stance once more. His friends, mother, and Aiko took up positions around the track. This time, Ryuji didn’t need to recall the memory of the official’s voice. With all the gravity and authority she had learned from her days as the Student Council President, Makoto called out.

“Runners, on your marks!”

Ryuji grinned. He set himself in the blocks, resting his left knee lightly on the ground. His fingers perfectly spaced apart.

“Set!” Makoto raised her hand - apparently, Ren had also liberated an electronic starter’s pistol along with the blocks.

He raised his hips higher than his shoulders; he felt the power build against the blocks as he simultaneously held it back, trying to generate the same feeling as snapping one’s fingers. Build the tension, build it to breaking…

He took off in perfect sync with the shot, launching himself forwards in an all-out burst. The start was critical. The cheers and screams of his friends buoyed him and drove away doubt.

50 metres. It was time to transition from an all-out start to a sustainable pace and a quick, controlled stride. Ren, trying to keep pace along the sideline with Mona clinging to his shoulder, was left in the dust. They both yelled themselves hoarse.

100 metres. Time to coast. Recover as much as possible. Stretch out the stride, fend off the fatigue and lactate burn as long as possible. Shiho was screaming something unintelligible with all the gusto of a fellow athlete. Ann was trying to take pictures, which would all end up blurry due to her jumping up and down.

200 metres. Acceleration phase. Ryuji started to swing his arms harder; his spikes dug into the track for purchase. He burned around the final curve, driving himself forwards. Yusuke broke his pencil as he frantically sketched. Haru handed Yusuke another while waving at Ryuji.

300 metres. All out dash. He caught sight of Tsubaki and Aiko just before the last straightaway. Aiko was surreptitiously wiping at her eyes; Tsubaki was switching back and forth between bawling and cheering.

It was time for the hardest part. His muscles screamed; his lungs burned. He was close, this time. So close to finding that place.

The place he tried to escape to when he was younger; the place that Kamoshida almost stole from him. He just needed a little more.

He almost couldn’t feel his footfalls anymore.

He almost couldn’t hear the cheers of his friends.

He almost couldn’t feel the pain.

_Almost_. Even as he gave his all, that little resigned smile started to form again. Not today, it seemed.

A single voice sounded out, driving the expression from his face.

“RYUJI! GOOOO!” Makoto screamed, standing at the finish line.

Running was an individual sport. Even in the relay races, no one could run your stretch but yourself. No one could provide you that speed but you. But against all logic, he could feel them. He could still feel the hands of his friends and family on his back. Pushing him, urging him forwards. He could hear Makoto’s call, dragging out just a little more speed. He could see her standing at the line. She was watching… waiting for him to show her.

In that moment - in that space between exhaustion and triumph - he found it. He found the place where there was no pain, no doubt. Just velocity _._

For a fleeting moment, he _soared_.

He crossed the finish line, nearly collapsing if not for Makoto’s waiting arms.

“I… Makoto…”

Makoto smiled, stroking Ryuji’s back. “Did you find it, Ryuji?”

Ryuji wiped at his eyes, speaking through a small sniffle. “...Yeah. I did, Makoto. Barely. And I think I know what I wanna do, now.”

>>>

April 1, 2017 

Takeishi and Nakaoka stood outside what used to be the track team’s club room, before opening ceremonies on the first day of the school year. Takeishi lifted the chain and padlock, a disgusted look on his face. He let it drop back to the door with a loud thud. “It’s such bullshit. They took the room away from us because of Kamoshida and then they didn’t even do anything with it afterward.”

Nakaoka sighed. “Yeah. They took it for the sake of taking it. Just a slap in the face. So… Sakamoto didn’t go for it?”

Takeishi shook his head. “No. I can’t say I blame him. No one has great memories attached to track anymore. I’ll have to tell Aya-chan that it’s a no-go for now, I guess. I mean, we can still train off-site, but--”

“The hell are you two just standin’ around for?”

Takeishi looked up, startled. “Sakamoto?!”

Ryuji was in his Shujin gym strip; he had worked up a light sweat. He grinned at the two boys. “If you guys are so serious about startin’ up again, then why the hell was I the only one on the track this mornin’, huh?”

“...Wait.” Nakaoka said. “Why, Sakamoto? I thought you were done with track.”

“Because a couple seconds of flying wasn’t enough for me.” Ryuji shrugged, to the confusion of his two fellow runners. He pulled a key out of his pocket, tossing it to Takeishi. “Anyway, crack open that door, Takeishi. Let’s see if they left your porn in there. You’d better hide it if Aya-chan is joinin’ the team, right?”

Takeishi fumbled the key before catching it. He swiftly unlocked the door. “More like _your_ porn, Sakamoto. And don’t call my cousin’s name so casually. She’s _way_ outta your league.”

“I have a girlfriend, dumbass.”

“Yeah? Who’s dumb enough to date _your_ sorry ass--”

“Makoto Niijima.” Ryuji grinned.

“The hell!?” Takeishi yelled.

“Seriously, man?! How is that fair?!” Nakaoka shook his head.

Ryuji just smiled. He put his spikes in his old locker, and then taped a picture up on the door. It was a group photo of everyone at the track yesterday, with Ryuji and Makoto front and center.

“Honestly, I have no idea. But I’ll do my damned best to earn it.”


End file.
